1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a course evaluation apparatus and course evaluation method that evaluate a course generated and, more particularly, to a course evaluation apparatus and course evaluation method that evaluate a course of a mobile unit, such as a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an existing art, a course setting apparatus is known as a course evaluation apparatus that evaluates a course of a mobile unit (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-230454 (JP-A-2007-230454)). The course setting apparatus evaluates courses along which a specific object included in a plurality of objects can travel, and then sets a course of the specific object. In the course setting apparatus, changes in positions, at which the plurality of objects can be located over time, are generated as trajectories on a time space constituted of time and space. The trajectories are used to estimate courses of the plurality of objects, and then the degrees of interference between the courses along which the specific object can travel and the courses along which the other objects can travel are quantitatively calculated on the basis of the estimated courses of the plurality of objects. After that, the course, along which the specific object is least likely to interfere with the other objects, is determined as an appropriate course for the specific object.
However, in the course setting apparatus described in JP-A-2007-230454, setting the course of the specific object requires the fact that the course is least likely to cause interference between the specific object and the other objects. Therefore, this does not take into consideration, for example, driving efficiency at the time when a mobile unit, which is the specific object, travels. Thus, the driving efficiency of the mobile unit may possibly be impaired despite little likelihood of interference with the other objects.